Somethin' 'Bout A Girl
by Gotham Siren
Summary: Pre-Apocalypse AU: Daryl Dixon went through his day to day life, not really paying much attention to the outside world. He worked as a farm-hand for an elderly couple who lived not too far from his trashy trailer. He only expected a pay check every week, but what he got in return was something way more. Daryl/Karen


**I own nothing, just the right to write as many Daryl/Karen fics as I want to. This is a little Pre-Apocalypse AU, inspired by Kip Moore's "Somethin' 'Bout A Truck". **

_**Somethin' 'Bout A Girl**_

Daryl took a long pull from his bottle of Budweiser, reveling in how well it went down his throat. He was leaning against his open tailgate after another long day of being a farm hand for his neighbor. The job paid well; in turn, he did most of the manual labor around the property as Ol' Man Parker worked his garden.

The couple he worked for was real nice, and they seemed to enjoy his company. It was weird for him, as they tended to treat him like their own son. His own old man never treated him like Mr. Parker did. And Mrs. Parker loved him to death; she always made him lemonade at the end of the day, as well as giving him the opportunity to sit down and have dinner with the elderly couple.

Something else he enjoyed about his job? The Parkers had a woman—somewhere around his age, maybe a little younger—come in on a daily basis to help Mrs. Parker with everything around the house. She was a real pretty girl Daryl had to admit. Her name was Karen; petite li'l thing with a tanned complexion, and gorgeous brown eyes to compliment her dark, messy curls. She probably would never go for a dirty redneck like him, but damn if Daryl wasn't crushin' on her some kind of bad.

Every time he came in with Mr. Parker at the end of the day, there she would be helping to cook dinner. Daryl enjoyed it when he got to talk to her, though he'd never admit it.

The Dixon brother let out a sigh, wiping the bead of sweat off of his brows. It was mid-July—a real scorching time in Georgia. He had just finished his work out on the farm for the day, and was rewarded a beer for his troubles. Karen, who had brought him a beer in the first place, came back out to check on him.

"Hey, Dixon," she greeted him on her way down the stoned path leading to the driveway. The brunette was dressed in a red sun dress that hardly left anything to the imagination, her dark curls cascading down her shoulders. Daryl had to focus on his cold beer instead of the beautiful woman approaching him.

As she finally approached him, she added, "it's hotter than hell out here. Why don't you come inside? Dinner's about ready."

"Yea. Will in a sec," Daryl replied with a curt nod, finishing his beer. "Thanks for that, by the way." He gestured to the beer.

"No trouble at all," Karen began, coming closer to take the empty bottle away from the redneck. Their eyes met as she accidently brushed against his arm. "Y'know, you never talk much about home," she spoke easily, trying to relieve the tension. "What's that like?"

He snorted slightly. "Nothin'. Mama's dead, the ol' man beat the shit outta me an' my brother. Only thing we got is our Uncle Jesse. He lives up in the mountains. Sometimes I go to see 'em, but not very often."

Karen inwardly kicked herself; way to start up a conversation, huh? "Oh, God. Daryl, I'm sorry."

The redneck shrugged nonchalantly. "Me too. But it ain't like bein' sorry fer shit's gonna change it."

"Where's your brother now? Surely you stay in touch," the brunette asked, smiling slightly.

"We stay in touch a'right. When his ass sends letters from jail." Once again, Daryl just shrugged. His dark blue eyes met with the beautiful woman next to him. "What about you? Yer here as much as I am. Got a family back at home?"

Karen was caught off guard when the redneck hopped up on his tailgate, offering a hand for her to take. She smiled brightly and took his hand to help hoist herself up next to him. "Well, I've got an older brother, and a younger sister, if that counts. At home, I've got no man, no kids, just me."

The redneck grumbled a bit uncomfortably upon realizing that their hands were still entwined. He took his hand back, a little blush decorating his face. Karen didn't seem to mind, but that was beside the point. Although it _was_ good to know that she was single.

Daryl's dark blue eyes met with Karen's brown eyes as he finally added, "I like bein' out on mah own. Easier to fend jus' for myself." He shrugged, digging his cigarettes out of his pocket.

The brunette smiled a little as she watched him light up a cigarette for a few drags. He offered her one, which she quickly denied. "No thanks."

Daryl nodded, tucking the pack back into his pocket. "S'a'right. Ya shouldn't smoke anyways," he teased a little. "It's bad for ya," he added with a little smirk.

Karen rolled her eyes playfully, chuckling at his remark. "Gee, if it's so bad, why don't you stop?" she countered.

The redneck just shrugged. "Gimme a minute an' I'll come up wit' a bullshit excuse," he added, his cigarette still balanced between his lips.

She nudged him in the elbow lightly, a warm smile still in place. "Come inside, Daryl. You know it means a lot to the Parkers when you stay for dinner." Of course, it meant a lot to her, too. She got to look at the hunky farm-hand for a little while longer before she went home herself.

Daryl nodded, smiling slightly. "Yea. It beats sittin' at home wit' nothin' else to do."

"Well, yay!" Karen beamed a smile. "I'll go let them know you're staying after all." She took his empty beer bottle and gently slid off of the truck bed, smoothing down her skirt when her feet reached the ground.

The redneck watched Karen go, shaking his head a little. If only he knew how to converse _well_ with women, maybe he'd have a chance with her. They saw each other every day. They talked _every _day.

She caught him watching her from the corner of her eye, which only kept her smile plastered across her face that much longer. Karen leaned against the column on the front porch for a moment, giving Daryl one last look over.

"Don't let the food get cold, Dixon!" She teased, just before going inside.

o—o—o

Later on in the week, the Parkers' daughter came to visit with her husband, and their two sons. They lived in Virginia, so they didn't come by to visit very often. Karen walked away from the rambunctious boys after serving them their third juice box. You'd think that their parents would have cut them off by now, but whatever. She didn't have to deal with them jumping off the walls later.

Daryl stood by Mr. Parker, schmoozing with him over the farm. He couldn't help but watch Karen as she walked around the yard, those hips swinging in the most distracting way possible. The elderly man caught his farmhand ogling the girl he considered to be a daughter, elbowing Daryl in the gut.

"Son, if ya stare any harder, yer jaw would drop to the damn grass," he joked, catching the younger man off guard. Daryl grumbled under his breath, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"What're ya talkin' 'bout, ol' man?" Daryl countered, looking to his boss now. "I ain't lookin' at nobody."

Eugene Parker just shrugged his frail shoulders, chuckling softly. "Ya sure? From what I see, ya tellin' a big ol' fib."

The farmhand shifted his weight uncomfortably. Sure, he liked Karen. He liked her a lot more than he wanted to admit. But she wouldn't go for a man like him. A man like him didn't deserve love, as far as the younger Dixon brother was concerned.

Parker sighed, rubbing his balding head. He could tell that Daryl and Karen both had feelings for one another, but neither of them would act upon for whatever the reason was. Well, perhaps it was time for Eugene to intervene. "Karen!" the old man bellowed, "come here a minute, gal!"

The brunette woman spun around upon hearing her name being called. Sporting a tall glass of iced tea, she headed over to see what Parker wanted. "Yes, sir?" she asked politely, a blush creeping up on her face as she accidentally met with Daryl's eyes, who was beginning to shift awkwardly with the situation at hand.

Eugene looked between both of his employees, chuckling softly before walking away. "Have fun, ya lovebirds," he called back to them.

Karen ran a free hand through her thick hair, smiling softly over at Daryl as he glanced over at her. Though, as soon as their eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze down to the ground. She sighed, wondering what it would take to get him to realize that she wanted him. "So," the brunette began, her voice practically sent shivers down her friend's spine, "now he's calling us love-birds, huh?"

Daryl nodded, "mmhmm. Ol' man must be gettin' senile in his old age," he retorted. That kind of hurt Karen's feelings just a bit, but she pushed it back. After all, the redneck at hand did seem like the kind of man to keep matters like this to himself. He dug around in his pocket for his cigarettes, swiftly lighting one up.

"Is he?" the brunette asked, waiting for the hunk before her to exhale. He looked at her with a look of a mix between curiosity and a little bit of fear. "I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that I have feelings for you. And I think those _might_ be mutual."

The redneck tried to keep his composure. He really hated being put on the spot like this. This is why he always avoided conversations about feelings and shit. Sure, he had feelings for her. But how the hell could he tell her? She would run away. Hell, his own parents couldn't even love him. He musta been defective or somethin'. "Karen, I ain't—"

"You ain't what? Go ahead and tell me. I'm a big girl, Dixon," Karen told him. If he told her the truth now, at least it would be over with. But she figured that she at least deserved that much.

"I ain't good wit' words," he took another quick drag from his cigarette, flicking the ashes in a nervous habit. "Or pretty girls. Or feelin's. So if yer lookin' for someon' who is I suggest lookin' somewhere else." Daryl looked to Karen this time, even though he was scared out of his damn mind to. "I like ya, but I ain't used to showin' it."

A broad smile stretched across the brunette's face. That was a relief to hear. "Daryl, I don't expect you to be good at anything. I like you just the way you are."

"That's the stupidest damn thin' I ever heard, woman," Daryl shook his head, chuckling aloud. He stomped his cigarette butt out, coming a little closer to Karen. She filled in the gap, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Call it stupid all you want, but it's the truth," Karen spoke, fighting the urge to smile.

Mind you, the two had hugged before—usually by her doings. But when Karen hugged him close this time, there was something different about it. Normally, it caught Daryl off guard, and you could feel that he wasn't quite used to it. This time, though, it felt natural, on the count of both parties.

\- o- o -o

About a year into their relationship, Karen and Daryl were in their element. Everything was normal, and everything was just perfect. A couple of months back, the two decided to move in together. Sadly, the Parkers both passed away, within months of each other, leaving the redneck and his woman jobless. Karen started studying for the education career she always wanted, all the while working part-time as a waitress. Daryl worked at a local mechanic's shop, the one he and his brother would eventually own.

Daryl came in from work one day, catching a whiff of dinner for that night. Another great attribute of Karen's? The woman knew how to cook, and did one hell of a job at it. She claimed she learned it all from her mother, who learned it from hers. All the redneck knew was he thrilled that she did. He went hunting and fishing from time to time, especially when money was sparse. He got the meat, cleaned it up well, and she still could make somethin' good out of it.

The hunter followed his sense of smell, coming right up on his girlfriend sliding a huge portion of lasagna in the oven. She spun around to face him, a smile illuminating her features.

"Well, look who's home," Karen greeted, stretching on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. Daryl, in turn, scooped her up and sat her on the kitchen counter.

"How's yer day been?" the redneck asked, taking the opportunity to take her hand into his own.

"Boring," she just shrugged. "Did some school work, got my work schedule for the week. Y'know, the usual," Karen began to smile softly as her boyfriend kissed the backside of her hand in reply.

"And yet ya still manage to cook up some damn good supper," Daryl replied, kissing her forehead this time.

"Only the best for my man," the brunette spoke, prideful. Daryl grumbled quietly as he helped her off the counter. At times, he did find himself reverting to his shy nature. Karen didn't mind. She loved him nonetheless.

The couple shared a quick few kisses, only to be interrupted by a booming voice coming from the living room. Daryl and Karen rolled their eyes simultaneously, just in time for said booming voice to enter the kitchen.

"Well, hey family, what's good ta eat tonight?" Merle Dixon, who had been recently released on good behavior, chimed in. This was also the norm. He would show up uninvited at eat all of Karen's home cooking, all while annoying his baby brother.

"Home sweet home," Daryl murmured to himself before tipping Karen's chin up for one more kiss.


End file.
